Information Processing Method, Non-Transitory Computer-Readable Storage Medium, and Information Processing Apparatus

This application is the national phase under 35 U. S. C. § 371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/JP2023/021994 which has an International filing date of Jun. 14, 2023 and designated the United States of America.

The present invention relates to an information processing method, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and an information processing apparatus.

There are techniques for restricting the use of application programs (hereinafter, referred to as “applications”) and the like.

For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2021-157823 discloses a method for restricting the use of an application, in which usage conditions including the time, geographical location, network conditions, and user attributes of a mobile terminal are set in advance and the use of the application is restricted when the operating environment of the mobile terminal satisfies the usage conditions.

However, the invention of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2021-157823 does not make use of cryptocurrency.

In one aspect, an object thereof is to provide an information processing method and the like that can restrict the use of an application and the like by utilizing cryptocurrency.

In one aspect, there is provided an information processing method in which a computer executes processing of: determining whether or not an amount of cryptocurrency held by a user is less than a predetermined number; and restricting the user's use of an application or service when it is determined that the amount held is less than the predetermined number.

In one aspect, it is possible to restrict the use of an application and the like by utilizing cryptocurrency.

The above and further objects and features will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description with accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the diagrams showing embodiments thereof.

1 FIG. 1 2 2 2 3 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system. In the present embodiment, an information processing system that restricts the use of an application or service (hereinafter, referred to as “application and the like”) when a user does not hold a predetermined number of cryptocurrency tokens (hereinafter, referred to as “tokens”) or more. The information processing system includes an information processing apparatus, terminals,,, . . . , an exchange server, and an issuing server. The apparatuses are communicatively connected to each other through a network N such as the Internet.

1 1 1 1 The information processing apparatusis an information processing apparatus capable of performing various kinds of information processing and transmitting and receiving information, and is, for example, a server computer or a personal computer. In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatusis assumed to be a server computer, and will be read as a serverbelow for the sake of simplicity. The serveris a server computer of an administrator of this system that provides a user with an application and the like, and the present embodiment will be described as providing a predetermined application.

1 1 As will be described later, when a user does not hold a predetermined number of tokens or more unique to this system, the serverrestricts the operation of the application. That is, the servermakes the token function as membership for using the application. By setting holding a predetermined number of tokens or more as a condition for membership, it is possible to increase demand for tokens, that is, cryptocurrency, and accordingly, to increase their prices.

In addition, various applications and the like, such as an EC (Electronic Commerce) site, a music application, a video posting site, and an SNS (Social Networking Service) application can be considered, but the content is not particularly limited. In addition, in the present embodiment, tokens are unique to this system, but may be existing cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin (registered trademark) or altcoin.

2 2 1 2 2 The terminalis a user terminal used by the user of this system. For example, the terminalis a smartphone, a personal computer, or a tablet terminal. The application provided by the serveris installed on the terminalin advance, and the terminalexecutes the application.

3 The exchange serveris a server computer that functions as a cryptocurrency exchange. The exchange allows the purchase, trading, and the like of cryptocurrency, and users can purchase tokens related to this system at the exchange.

4 4 4 The issuing serveris a server computer that issues tokens related to this system. The issuing serverissues tokens up to a predetermined upper limit of issuance. The issuing serversupplies the issued tokens to the market (exchange) to distribute the tokens.

2 FIG. 1 1 11 12 13 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server. The serverincludes a control unit, a main storage unit, a communication unit, and an auxiliary storage unit.

11 1 14 12 11 13 The control unithas one or more arithmetic processing devices, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and performs various kinds of information processing, control processing, and the like by reading and executing a program Pstored in the auxiliary storage unit. The main storage unitis a temporary storage area, such as an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and a flash memory, and temporarily stores data required for the control unitto execute arithmetic processing. The communication unitis a communication module for performing processing related to communication, and transmits and receives information to and from the outside.

14 1 11 14 141 141 The auxiliary storage unitis a non-volatile storage area, such as a large-capacity memory and a hard disk, and stores the program P(program product) and other kinds of data required for the control unitto execute processing. In addition, the auxiliary storage unitstores a user DB. The user DBis a database that stores information about each user.

14 1 1 In addition, the auxiliary storage unitmay be an external storage device connected to the server. In addition, the servermay be a multi-computer formed by a plurality of computers, or may be a virtual machine that is virtually constructed by software.

1 1 In addition, in the present embodiment, the serveris not limited to the above configuration, and may include, for example, an input unit that receives an operational input, a display unit that displays images, and the like. In addition, the servermay include a reading unit for reading a portable storage medium la, such as a CD (Compact Disk)-ROM or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, so that the program Pl is read from the portable storage medium la and executed.

3 FIG. 141 141 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a record layout of the user DB. The user DBincludes a user ID column, a name column, and an address column. The user ID column stores a user ID for identifying each user. The name column and the address column store the user's name and the user's wallet address, respectively, in association with the user ID.

4 FIG. 2 2 21 22 23 24 25 26 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal. The terminalincludes a control unit, a main storage unit, a communication unit, a display unit, an input unit, and an auxiliary storage unit.

21 2 26 22 21 23 24 25 26 2 21 The control unitis one or more arithmetic processing devices, such as a CPU and an MPU, and performs various kinds of information processing by reading and executing a program Pstored in the auxiliary storage unit. In addition, the main storage unitis a temporary storage area, such as a RAM, and temporarily stores data required for the control unitto execute arithmetic processing. The communication unitis a communication module for performing processing related to communication, and transmits and receives information to and from the outside. The display unitis a display screen such as a liquid crystal display, and displays images. The input unitis an operation interface, such as a touch panel, and receives an operation input from the user. The auxiliary storage unitis a non-volatile storage area, such as a hard disk or a large-capacity memory, and stores the program P(program product) and other kinds of data required for the control unitto execute processing.

2 2 2 2 a a In addition, the terminalmay include a reading unit for reading a portable storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, so that the program Pis read from the portable storage mediumand executed.

5 FIG. 5 FIG. is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of Embodiment 1. The overview of the present embodiment will be described with reference to.

2 1 As already described, in the present embodiment, tokens function as membership for application use. Specifically, when the terminalattempts to execute a main function of an application, the serverdetermines whether or not the amount of tokens held by the user is less than a predetermined number. The main function of an application is, for example, a music playback function in a music application, but the function varies depending on the content of the application.

2 1 1 1 141 When executing the main function of the application, the terminalmakes an inquiry to the server. When the inquiry is received, the serveracquires the amount of tokens held by the user. Specifically, the serverreads the user's wallet address stored in the user DBin advance, and acquires the amount of tokens held by the user from the blockchain (not shown) based on the wallet address.

1 3 1 In addition, although it is assumed that the amount of tokens held by the user is acquired based on the wallet address in the present embodiment, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the servermay access the exchange (exchange server) used by the user to acquire the amount of tokens held by the user. Thus, the serveronly needs to be able to acquire the amount of tokens, and there is no particular restriction on the acquisition route.

In addition, although it is assumed that the amount of tokens held by the user is passively checked when an inquiry is received from the user terminal in the present embodiment, the present embodiment is not limited thereto, and the amount of tokens held by the user may be automatically checked periodically.

1 1 1 The serverdetermines whether or not the amount of acquired tokens held is less than a predetermined number. In addition, the “predetermined number” used as a criterion for determination may be a fixed number based on tokens, or may be a number that represents a fixed amount when the tokens are converted into legal currency. When it is determined that the amount of tokens held is not less than the predetermined number, the serverallows the execution of the main function of the application. On the other hand, when it is determined that the amount of tokens held is less than the predetermined number, the serverrestricts the use of the application. “Restricting the use of an application” means, for example, stopping the main function of the application, but may be in the form of imposing a restriction on the number of times or the time of the execution of the main function.

6 FIG. 6 FIG. 6 FIG. 2 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a pop-up screen. When the use of an application is restricted, for example, terminaldisplays a pop-up screen shown in. This screen is a screen for notifying the user that tokens should be purchased. When an operation input to the “Activate” button on the screen ofis received, the terminaltransitions to a screen not shown in the diagram to display an access page to the exchange. The user accesses the exchange from the page and purchases the shortage of tokens. As a result, the user obtains membership.

1 As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the amount of tokens held is less than a predetermined number, the use of an application and the like is restricted. This increases demand for tokens, which can lead to an increase in their price. In addition, since only users who have a predetermined number of tokens or more can execute the application and the like, the processing load on the servercan be reduced.

7 FIG. 7 FIG. 1 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of processing executed by the server. The content of the processing executed by the serverwill be described with reference to.

11 1 2 11 11 141 12 11 13 The control unitof the serverreceives an inquiry from the terminal(step S). When the inquiry is received, the control unitreads the user's wallet address from the user DB(step S). The control unitacquires the amount of tokens (cryptocurrency) held by the user based on the wallet address (step S).

11 14 14 11 14 11 The control unitdetermines whether or not the amount of tokens held by the user is less than a predetermined number (step S). When it is determined that the amount of tokens held by the user is not less than the predetermined number (S: NO), the control unitends the series of processes. When it is determined that the amount of tokens held by the user is less than the predetermined number (S: YES), the control unitrestricts the user from using the application (step

15 11 2 16 S). The control unitcauses the terminalto display a pop-up (notification) indicating that tokens should be purchased (step S), and ends the series of processes.

1 1 2 1 In addition, in the above description, the function of an application and the like provided by the server, that is, the administrator of this system, is restricted, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, the servermay be configured to restrict the use of an application and the like provided by a third party other than the administrator of this system. In this case as well, similarly to the above, when an inquiry is received from the user's terminal, the serverdetermines whether or not the amount of tokens held by the user is less than a predetermined number, and restricts the use of the application and the like according to the determination result. Thus, the application and the like subject to the restriction may be an application and the like of the third party.

In addition, in the above description, the use of an application and the like is enabled when the amount of tokens held is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, when a user pays a predetermined amount of tokens (or legal currency) per predetermined period to the provider of the application and the like in a subscription format, the application and the like may be made available for use for the predetermined period.

1 As described above, according to Embodiment, it is possible to restrict the use of an application and the like by utilizing cryptocurrency.

In the present embodiment, a form will be described in which the use of an application and the like is restricted in stages according to the amount of tokens held. In addition, the same contents as in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

200 1 200 First, an overview of the present embodiment will be described. Here, it is assumed that the standard amount of tokens for restricting the use of an application and the like is. That is, the serverrestricts the use of the application and the like when the amount of tokens held by the user is less than.

200 1 50 150 200 1 100 150 1 1 Here, in the present embodiment, when the amount of tokens is less than, the use of the application and the like is not uniformly restricted, but restrictions are imposed in stages according to the amount of tokens held by the user. For example, the serverimposes a restriction in units oftokens. That is, when the amount of tokens held is equal to or greater thanand less than, the serverrestricts a first function (for example, music playback in the case of a music playback application). Then, when the amount of tokens held is equal to or greater thanand less than, the serverrestricts a second function (for example, downloading music). In this manner, the serverimposes restrictions in stages.

2 In addition, for example, the terminalmay display functions that the user can use and functions that the user cannot use depending on the amount of tokens held by the user.

In this manner, it is possible to grant membership more preferably by imposing restrictions in stages.

8 FIG. 1 14 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the procedure of processing performed by the serveraccording to Embodiment 2. When it is determined that the amount of tokens held by the user is less than a predetermined number (S: YES), the serverexecutes the following processing.

11 1 201 11 11 16 The control unitof the serverrestricts the use of the application in stages according to the amount of tokens held by the user (step S). Specifically, as described above, the control unitincreases the number of restricted application functions in stages as the amount of tokens held by the user decreases. The control unitproceeds to step S.

As described above, according to Embodiment 2, it is possible to grant membership more appropriately by imposing restrictions in stages.

In Embodiment 1, whether or not to restrict the use of an application is determined based on the amount of tokens held by the user. On the other hand, a period during which the user holds tokens may also be taken into consideration when determining whether or not to restrict the use of an application.

1 1 For example, the serverdetermines whether or not the amount of tokens held is less than a predetermined number and the holding period is less than a predetermined period. When it is determined that the amount of tokens held is less than the predetermined number and the holding period is less than the predetermined period, the serverrestricts the use of the application.

2 In addition, for example, the terminalmay display the amount of tokens in shortfall and the holding period according to the amount of tokens held by the user.

Since this creates an incentive for the user to hold on to his or her tokens, it is possible to further increase demand for tokens.

In Embodiment 1, the threshold value (predetermined number) to be compared with the amount of tokens held by the user has been described as a fixed value. On the other hand, the threshold value may be variable.

1 1 3 For example, the serverchanges the threshold value according to the market price of the token. Specifically, the serveracquires market information indicating the market price of the token from the exchange server, and changes the above-described predetermined value serving as a threshold value based on the market price.

In this manner, for example, it is possible to reduce the threshold value when the token value rises, so that the amount of tokens required for membership remains unchanged.

1 In Embodiment 1, a form of restricting the use of an application based on the amount of one kind of token (cryptocurrency) held has been described. On the other hand, the servermay restrict the use of an application based on the amount of a plurality of kinds of tokens held.

1 1 Specifically, the serverdetermines whether or not the total amount of a plurality of tokens held is less than a predetermined number. When it is determined that the total amount of a plurality of tokens held is less than the predetermined number, the serverrestricts the user from using the application.

In this manner, the user can configure membership for a plurality of kinds of tokens, so that it is possible to reduce the risk when any one token crashes.

It is to be noted that, as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

It is to be noted that the disclosed embodiment is illustrative and not restrictive in all aspects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds thereof are therefore intended to be embraced by the claims.